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First, to be clear, there are dozen of concerns and precautions you should be aware of when we talk about energy
transport. Cables and busbar systems are the most common and reliable ways to do so, at least until wireless energy
transport is developed :) However, many potential issues need to be addressed. This article deals with four
significant precautions you should take – grouping conductors in parallel, short circuits, magnetic effects, operating
current, and voltage drop.
Ok, let’s address these three critical precautions for the installation of cables and busbar trunking systems.
Table of contents:
Above a certain current (usually several hundred amperes), the use of several conductors in parallel allows their
cross-section to be limited and thus their handling made easier. This technique, very often used for the conductors
between the transformer and the main low voltage switchboard, is also used for high-power outgoing connections.
Basic Rules: If several conductors are arranged in parallel, they must be arranged in as many groups as there are
conductors in parallel, with each group containing one conductor from each phase. the groups of conductors must
themselves be installed close to each other.
This proximity rule also applies to single conductors (phases, neutral and protective conductor).
Figure – Careful layout of the cables complying with both the grouping rules and the precautions against fire
3-phase distribution via the conductors in parallel must comply with the strict geometrical layout rules. This also
supposes that all the conductors are of the same type, same cross-section and same length and that they do not
include any tap-off in their route and cannot be supplied individually.
In the event of failure to comply with any one of these conditions, the overall protection of the bundle of parallel
conductors by a single device would not be possible; one protection device per conductor would then be necessary. It
is recommended that the number of parallel conductors is limited as far as possible.
Above four cables, it is preferable to use prefabricated busbar systems, providing a better distribution of currents.
Table 1 – Layout of the conductors in parallel and correction coefficient as per IEC 60364
Table
1 – Layout of the conductors in parallel and correction coefficient as per IEC 60364
Shifting the current and the voltage for 45° (cosϕ = 0.5)
It determines the electromotive force “e” circulating in a conductor following the variation in magnetic flux
(Φ) surrounding the conductor. The conductor’s inductance depends on the material’s magnetic characteristics, the
medium and its geometry (length, number of turns):
e = −L × dΦ/dt
Mutual inductance
For a symmetrical link, the self-induction coefficient is perceptibly identical for each conductor, this is:
where: d is the average distance between the axes of the conductors, and r is the radius of the core of the conductor.
In an asymmetrical arrangement , since the distances are different, the mutual inductances between conductors will
also be different. From this, it follows that the distribution of the current will be asymmetrical.
Symmetrical conductors
The equal distribution of currents in several identical conductors in parallel is uniquely linked to the equality of the
impedances in each of the conductors. With the inductance proportion becoming dominant with the increase in
section, the geometrical layout of the conductors will dominate (identical distances for each of them).
Three-phase layout
In a cable or bundle of conductors in 3-phase (with or without neutral), the vectoral sum of the currents is nil and the
resulting magnetic induction created by the conductors remains very low if they are grouped together and arranged
in a regular pattern. If this is not the case, the self-induction coefficient of the conductors will be modified by the
interaction of the magnetic field created.
Own and mutual inductances and the distribution of the currents will then be out of balance.
There are two destructive effects which can affect conductors in the event of a short circuit:
1. Thermal stress, protection against which is normally provided by the limiting power of the protection
devices (fuses, circuit breakers)
2. Electrodynamic stresses, whose forces between conductors can have destructive effects.
2.1 Conductors in cable tray
When a short circuit between two active conductors occurs (the most probable), the conductors suffering the intense
current of the short circuit will be repelled with a force proportional to the square of the intensity. If they are poorly
secured, they will start to whip and could tear out of their ties and touch another conductor or an earth causing a new
short circuit with a highly destructive arcing effect.
Even if there are few limitations in the use of prefabricated busbar trunking, it is still important to check that its short
circuit resistance characteristics are actually coordinated with its upstream protection devices.
The trunking must be able to withstand the thermal stress associated with the short circuit for the entire duration of
the fault, i.e. for the whole of the time necessary for the protection device (circuit breaker ) to trip. Similarly, the
electrodynamic forces permitted by the busbar trunking must be compatible with the peak current limited by the
upstream protection.
The presumed peak value (Ipk), can be determined by reading devices’ limiting curves or in the absence of data, by
applying an asymmetry factor n (see Table 2 below) at the effective value of the short circuit current (Isc).
Table 2 – Effective values of the short circuit and applied asymmetry factor
Effective value of the short circuit cos ϕ n = ipk/i
I ≤ 5 kA 0.7 1.5
5 ka < I ≤ 10kA 0.5 1.7
10 ka < I < 20kA 0.3 2
20 ka < I ≤ 50kA 0.25 2.1
I > 50ka 0.2 2.2
As with trunking made up of conductors and cables, presumed short circuit current calculations and the
determination of protection devices must be done prior to any installation.
Passing high currents through conductors induces magnetic effects in adjacent metallic masses, which can result in
the unacceptable heating of the materials.
1. To reduce the induction created, it is necessary to arrange the conductors so that the field is as weak as
possible. So far as is possible, conductors should be arranged in a trefoil to reduce induced fields (see diagram
for grouping conductors above).
2. To prevent significant heating in cable tray sections, it is advisable to remove the parts that create loops
around a conductor.
3. Breaking the magnetic loop by removing sections is also possible. In all cases, check that the mechanical
strength remains acceptable.
4. Cutting wire cable tray in order to prevent magnetic fields likely to cause heating.
In order to minimise the induction created in magnetic loops, it is still recommended that all the life conductors in a
circuit (phases and neutral) should be positioned within the same metal (steel) compartments.
Since the vectorial sum of the currents is nil, the one of the fields created is too.
All phases and neutral conductor must be positioned within the same metal compartments
The circulation of a current I in a conductor creates a proportional field H , the effect of which is to
create induction B in the surrounding medium. The value of B depends on the value of the field (therefore on the
current) but also on the magnetic characteristics of the medium or the material. It is the magnetic permeability
µ expressed in henries per metre (H/m).
The more the permeability of the material increases, the more the field lines are concentrated and the higher the
induction. Above a certain value there is saturation and heating.
Ferrous materials (steel) being magnetic by nature, are particularly likely to conduct fields but also to become
saturated if these fields are too high.
To calculate the actual current that will allow the choice of the busbar trunking, a certain number of data must be
known:
where:
Losses through the Joule effect are essentially due to the electrical resistance of the bars. lost energy is transformed
into heat and contributes to the heating of the trunking.
If the trunking is particularly long (≥ 100m), it is necessary to check the voltage drop. According to standard IEC
61439-6, the voltage drop in 3-phase trunking may be calculated using the following formula:
where:
u = b × K × L × IB × 10−6
where:
The use of cable tray systems for power distribution requires detailed knowledge of electrical installation
characteristics. For installations with long runs, it is particularly important to check voltage drops.
If the voltage drop is greater than the permitted limit, it will be necessary to increase the section of the
conductors until the voltage drop is less than the prescribed value.
When the main cables in the installation are longer than 100 m, the permissible limit values can be increased
by 0.005 % per metre above 100 m, without this addition itself exceeding 0.5%. The value of the unit voltage drop
v (in volts per ampere and for 100m), can be read directly in the manufacturer’s tables.
If the installation supplies motors, it is advisable to check the voltage drop under start-up conditions. To do this,
simply replace current I B in the formula opposite with the starting current of the motor and use the power factor on
starting. in the absence of more accurate data, the starting current can be taken as being 6 × In.
The voltage drop, taking into account all the motors that may start at the same time, must not exceed 15%. apart
from the fact that too high a voltage drop can hinder other users of the installation, it may also prevent the motor
starting.